


I Had a Date

by clear_sight



Category: The Avengers (2012), Torchwood
Genre: F/M, Happy, M/M, Sappy, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-26
Updated: 2013-02-26
Packaged: 2017-12-03 16:04:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/700081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clear_sight/pseuds/clear_sight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"How?" Steve croaked.<br/>Jack gave him a crooked grin and answered, "There was a madman with a blue box and a big bad wolf and the rest is a very long story."</p><p>Tony gets ready for a date with Pepper and talks to Steve about why he's been so gloomy.  And Steve gets an unexpected surprise.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Had a Date

**Author's Note:**

  * For [JahLoveAngel](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=JahLoveAngel).



> I was feeling slightly sappy on Valentine's day and JahLoveAngel had showed me a gifset a while back on Tumblr. It was Steve/Jack and it was pretty much decided that would be adorable because Jack would still be here. And she was like, "You should write this." So I did. All in one go on Valentine's day. And then I edited it all in one go tonight. If anything's wonky because I'm on sleeping pills and missed some glaringly obvious issue, feel free to let me know. This is probably the sappiest thing you will get from me ever.

“Hey Cap, why so gloomy? We won. Everything’s good. Take a week to let the world get itself back into dire straits again before you start worrying over it.” Tony, Steve registered vaguely. The eccentric genius meant well, Steve knew. He’d been forced to reevaluate his conceptions about the man after the Battle for New York. But that didn’t mean Tony didn’t have the worst timing in the universe sometimes.

“It’s nothing,” Steve replied, turning away from the window. It still amazed him how New York City had grown and sprawled and changed since his youth. All the sky-scrapers with their windows glowing and the flickering LED signs advertising everything under the sun were overwhelming some nights. Steve cast a glance over at Tony, who seemed entirely degreased for once. And presentable, too, he noted. No ratty t-shirt and jeans so stained nothing would ever get them cleaned. He was in a suit. Since the Avengers had begun calling Stark Tower home, Steve had seen only two events that could get Tony out of the lab and looking like the socialite the media liked to think he was. One was a press event, but Steve doubted that was it. “Do you have a date with Miss Potts tonight?”

Tony grinned sheepishly. “Do I look like I’m trying too hard?”

“No,” Steve assured quickly. Tony had been raised in the spotlight so could clean up with the best of them and look effortless doing so. “No. It’s just, you know, usually there’s less polish and more grease. You’ve spent nearly the past week in your workshop.”

Tony snorted at that. “Because you’re so much better about the gym. I had a prototype to finish.” Then the laughter faded from his face and he looked Steve over again. “Seriously, though, is something up? You look… I don’t know. Less spangly than usual.” The only response he got was a raised eyebrow. “Really. You’ve had this raincloud following you all day.”

With a soft sigh, Steve dropped onto the couch. What was there to say? Sure, he could blame their most recent mission. There had been casualties, it would be a logical excuse. But that wasn’t it. How, though, was he supposed to explain what was really going on? _Oh, I was supposed to have a date seventy one years ago tonight, but I missed it because my plane went down. And now everyone I knew is dead._ How do you explain something like that? He settled for, “It’s something of an anniversary.”

Concern creased Tony’s face into a frown as he settled on the opposite end of the couch. “It’s not the day your plane crashed. That was four days ago. So what is it?”

There was a look in his eyes that Steve knew only a handful of people ever saw. He should be touched by his friend’s concern. Right now, though, he really only wanted to be left alone to look at the changed skyline in peace. The shorter man shuffled a bit closer, looking determined. Great. Tony was _invested_. Which meant he wasn’t going to let go until he had his answers, one way or another. “I had a date,” Steve said finally after a long, tense pause.

Tony looked genuinely pained at this confession. “Have you thought about looking for her?”

Steve shook his head, turning slightly to look back out at the city. He didn’t want to see Tony’s sympathetic expression anymore. “You know how long ago that was. He’s probably dead. Everyone’s dead.”

When he looked back, Tony had opened his mouth, protest written plain as day across his face, but Steve was spared the heartache of a lecture by an announcement from JARVIS. “Sir, Miss Potts is here to see you. Shall I send her up?”

Tony turned his focus out into the middle distance, the way Steve was used to seeing him do when talking to the AI, schooling his expression into one of happy anticipation. Steve was grateful for that. Pepper would have asked questions. As kind as her intentions may be, she was even more persistent than Tony when it came to these matters. She would mount a search. One which would ultimately come up empty, and Steve wasn’t sure he could handle that just yet. “Yeah, bring her up,” Tony said.

“Sir,” JARVIS continued almost inquiringly. “It seems there is also a visitor here for Captain Rogers. He says his name is Captain Harkness. Shall I send him up as well?”

Steve all but leapt from his seat, completely oblivious to Tony’s odd look. “ _Yes._ ”

“Someone you know?” Tony prompted. When Steve turned back to him, his expression – somewhere between panic and joy and suddenly very pale – was all the explanation Tony needed. It didn’t take long for realization to dawn. “Your date.” All Steve could do was nod dumbly. “Well damn.”

When the elevator doors whooshed softly open, Steve froze mid vault over the couch at the sight of the man who stepped out. The result was a rather hilarious topple to the tiled floor which, under different circumstances, Tony could never have left unremarked upon. Under different circumstances. But now, with Steve sitting sprawled awkwardly on the floor, staring up at the impossibly young man like he’d seen a ghost, Tony kept his mouth firmly shut. With nothing more than a faint clicking of heels, Pepper drifted to his side, watching the scene before them with just as much confusion on her face as Tony was sure was all over his. He gave her a brief shrug when she shot him a querying glace before turning his attention back to the men.

With a warm, aching smile, the stranger offered a hand to Steve. He didn’t take it. “How?” he croaked instead. Slowly, hesitantly he took the proffered hand and got to his feet. He kept hold of the man’s hand and placed his other on the captain’s shoulder, keeping him held where Steve could look at him. “Jack, what’s going on?”

Jack, as the man was evidentially called, gave him a crooked grin and answered, “There was a madman in a blue box and a big Bad Wolf and the rest is a very long story. We can talk about it later. But right now, I believe you promised me a date. And the security around you is damn near impossible to get through, by the way, so I think you owe me that much before we get into the mechanics of how we’re both still here.”

Steve seemed to be convinced by that and he gave a wavering smile before yanking Jack into a bone crushing hug. The impossible captain wrapped his arms around Steve and pressed a cheek to his hair, letting him process everything. He seemed to either not notice or not care that Tony and Pepper were still there. After seventy one years, Tony had his money on not caring. The silence stretched long, punctuated only by the faint clicking of Pepper’s high heels as she came to sit on the couch. She had a hand pressed to her mouth. Tony was almost afraid to move for fear of ruining something that was clearly precious.

Eventually, with a quick look at Pepper, Tony stood and made his way over to his friend. Carefully he set a hand on Steve’s shoulder, feeling just slightly uncertain when both men looked at up him. “I, uh, I know a good place. If you leave in the next few minutes, you can still make the reservation. Happy’s downstairs, he’ll drive you. It’s booked under Stark.”

Steve frowned deeply. “Tony –”

“No,” Pepper said, getting to her feet. “Go.”

Steve looked like he wanted to protest. He also looked like he might collapse. Combat he could handle, but this was a different ball game entirely. “If you’re sure. Thank you, Miss Potts.” He turned back to Tony. “I don’t know what to say.” And then because he knew Tony was terrible at accepting thanks, added, “About anything tonight.”

“Go have a good time,” Tony told him with a smile. “And don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” That earned him a raised eyebrow from Steve and a smirk from Jack. Well. It looked like someone kept up with the media. “Go on. Happy’s waiting for you.”

“Thank you,” the man said, offering his hand, which Tony didn’t take. He didn’t seem offended, just kept smiling. “I’m Captain Jack Harkness.”

“Tony Stark,” Tony answered. “I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of you.”

Jack glanced at Steve with a warm smile. “I’m sure you will.”

“Now seriously,” Tony told them. “Go. Don’t make Happy speed, he hates that.”

“You rush him all the time,” Steve told him.

“Yes, well, do as I say, not as I do,” Tony shot back, making a shooing motion.

“Alright, going,” Steve laughed. Taking Jack’s hand, he led him to the elevator. Tony could hear him laughing softly at something the other man had said as Tony turned back around.

Spreading his hands wide in a gesture of ‘I don’t know either,’ he grinned at Pepper. “So, staying in tonight?”

“That sounds lovely,” she agreed.


End file.
